


The Scars Will Remain

by Queen_B



Series: Shadowland [2]
Category: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TV 2003)
Genre: Ghosts, Horror, M/M, Mental Torture, Spiritual, Suspense, Turtlecest
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-11
Updated: 2019-04-14
Packaged: 2019-06-25 23:43:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15651351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Queen_B/pseuds/Queen_B
Summary: Sequel to Shadowland.The turtles are finally back home, everything should be fine, right? Wrong. So very wrong.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Originally I wanted to add more to this first chapter, but since I barely have time to write properly this will have to do for now...

* * *

 

 

It had been a shock.

 

Their father was dead. A heart attack... an unbelievable coincidence. It had to be. There was no way this could be tied to them killing the evil Splinter.

 

For two whole days no one could even touch him, the grief was too deep, even though they knew he'd been old and this was just how life went.

 

Finally they had decided what to do with the body. They would never throw their Sensei into the sewers' rancid rivers, and burning was out of question too. It would attract unwanted attention. So they wrapped him up in his favorite blanket and transported him to Casey's farmhouse, where they could bury him under this nice oak tree and give him a proper funeral.

 

That's been three months ago. Slowly, very slowly, they started training again with Leo as their Sensei, and though it still hurt, they kinda managed. They had each other after all...

 

Things started to go back to normal, except that they weren't.

 

Leonardo was the first to notice. Ever since they moved into Donnie's room together, his own had become his personal meditation room. He'd set up a hundred candles and it was a blessing that he could just blow them out after meditating instead of tidying everything up.

 

He still got two hours left before his mates would wake up to meditate in peace and maybe go over a few katas on his own. With a match he lit a few of the candles, only to watch them flicker for a few seconds before they went out. He tried it a few more times, always the same result. When his match box was empty he frowned, on the verge of pouting. He could meditate in the dark just fine, but he was always more comfortable within the warm glow of the candles, ever since their adventure with the shadows.

 

Deciding he would try again later, he went down to the kitchen to get some tea. He was surprised to see Mikey and Donnie already up.

 

The genius sat at the table, holding a cup of coffee to his lips, blinking tiredly. Michelangelo stood by the fridge, rummaging through it.

 

“Morning...” he greeted Don with an affectionate head rub and got something mumbled in return.

 

“Morning Leo.” Mikey sounded tired still, but his movements were wide awake as he spun around, quickly pouring some tea that he had prepared into a cup. Leo pressed a kiss to his forehead in thanks before sitting down at the table too, blowing at the tea to cool it a little. 

 

“So... up already?” Donnie yawned and set down his cup.

 

“Yeah... woke up when Mikey wiggled out of my hug. Figured I'd use the extra time to work on Raph's radio.” Leo frowned at Mikey's back. Said turtle was facing the counters, preparing bowls and ingredients.

Don caught his gaze and gave a soft one-shouldered shrug. Even though things were getting better, each of them sometimes felt solemn all of a sudden. It would come and go, and those phases would grow more and more apart, but still.

 

“Okay... Could you take a look at my old room too? I think there's a draft from somewhere, my candles won't stay lit...”

 

“Sure. I'll go right away and wake up Raph on my way back. How long until breakfast's done, sweetheart?” Mikey looked down at the ingredients for the waffles on the counter and shrugged softly.

 

“Half an hour I guess.”

 

“Good, that's enough time to take care of the draft problem and wake up the beast.” Leo chuckled and watched Don's retreating form, before turning his attention towards his youngest mate. Leaning his chin on his hand he observed him work, a tiny smile on his face.

 

“You're awfully quiet today...” Mikey shrugged again, not turning around while he mixed the batter.

 

“I didn't sleep all that well.”

 

“Nightmares?” Leo did notice him shift around more than usual in his sleep, though it hadn't been bad enough to be classified as a nightmare.

 

“Not really. Just... just weird dreams. They don't make sense at all and are... just stupid. It's nothing.”

 

“It's not nothing if it keeps you from sleeping soundly, baby...” When Mikey didn't respond Leo sighed and got up, hugging him from behind. “It's about dad, isn't it?” He mumbled softly into Mike's shoulder, getting a stiff nod in return.

Finally the smaller turtle turned around and buried his face under Leo's chin. The leader felt him shudder and rubbed his carapace gently. “We all miss him, it's okay...” Mikey let out a sigh and snuggled closer to his big brother, soaking up the warmth. 

 

“Thanks, Leo...” He smiled up at him, but shivered again. Leo frowned and rubbed his arms.

 

“Are you cold?”

 

“Yeah... I don't know, since yesterday I can't seem to warm up.” Leo took a moment to gauge the temperature in the lair. It was early fall, they didn't even turn up the heat yet.

 

“Are you getting sick?” he worried, pressing his forehead against his little brother's. He did look a little pale, but that could be from the exhaustion too. Ever since their nightmare adventure they were very cautious of any signs of the youngster getting sick. It brought back horrible memories.

 

“I'm fine, Leo. Just tired. I'll try to take a nap later. Now let me get back to breakfast before Raph kills us all for waking him up without a good reason.” Mikey smiled, prompting Leo to smile back and finally letting him go to finish.

 

Some minutes later Donnie entered the kitchen again, accompanied by an irritated looking Raphael.

 

“Did you find out where the draft comes from?” Leo asked as his hothead brother squeezed his shoulder as a greeting.

 

“There was no draft. The candles burnt just fine for over five minutes.” The katana-wielder blinked in confusion.

 

“Uh... okay I guess... Thanks.” Then why wouldn't they stay lit when he tried?

 

“Shell, Mikey, ya look awful.” Raph grumbled unhappily, eyeing their youngest mate from his place next to the coffee maker. Mikey squirmed away from the reaching hands and placed a plate of waffles on the table.

 

“I'm fine, I just didn't sleep well. Don't worry, I'll take a nap later.” he assured Raph in an irritated tone, not in the mood for the over-protectiveness. The hothead narrowed his eyes but let it go for now as he sat down.

 

None of them have been very hungry lately, but they knew they had to eat. Breakfast went rather quiet, until Raph broke the silence.

 

“What?”

 

He didn't elaborate, just watched them all with a questioning expression. So Leo inquired.

 

“What what?” Raph rolled his eyes.

 

“Didn't you just say something?” Leo blinked, exchanging looks with Donnie and Mikey.

 

“No...?” This time Raph blinked before shaking his head and rubbing his right ear-hole.

 

“Huh. Must've imagined it...” He was still hearing murmuring voices, but he sure as shell wouldn't tell his brothers that. They'd think he was crazy. If it wouldn't go away till the evening he could still talk to Donnie. Maybe he was having an ear infection or whatnot.

 

Meanwhile Mikey drifted off into his own little world. Usually he'd try to start up a conversation, but today he was just too tired to do so. He was still trying to make sense of his weird dream, and absentmindedly raised the fork to his mouth, until he noticed something green on it.

With a frown he looked downward and let out a terrified scream. The fork clanked as it hit the plate and with how much force Mikey tried to get away he managed to fall backwards with the chair. Eyes wide with shock he scrambled away from the table until his shell hit the kitchen counters.

 

In a flash his brothers were there, talking to him, touching him. He couldn't make out their words, his head was still buzzing from what he just saw. He whimpered involuntarily and rubbed his eyes when he felt them burn.

 

“Baby, what's wrong?” Hands were on his face, tilting it up so he could look into Donnie's warm gaze. Mikey couldn't help but let his eyes flicker to the table in fright again. “Sweetheart, look at me. Everything's okay. Tell me what's wrong.” The youngster sniffled, trying to stay focused on Don right in front of him.

 

Now that he calmed down it seemed really ridiculous to him. He made the batter himself, he must've imagined it. There was no way he saw what he thought he'd seen. He was sleep-deprived. Yes. That's why he imagined there to be green fingers on his plate, belonging to his brothers.

 

“Mikey. Talk to us.”

 

“I... sorry... I just thought I saw something on my plate...” He tried a smile to play it off as silly, but his mates had him fixed with stern gazes.

 

“Yer as pale as a ghost and shaking like a leaf. What tha hell did ya see?” It really was ridiculous. Donnie had all of his fingers, none of his brothers were harmed. It was stupid.

 

“Just... I thought there were living bugs on my plate...” So stupid and boring that he didn't want to worry his mates with it. It was just his imagination after all.

 

The tense shoulders relaxed, and Raph sighed and rubbed a hand over his face.

“It's too early for this...” Whether he meant the time of the day or the time after Splinter's death, no one was sure.

 

Donnie, who had Mikey hugged close to him now, mumbled into his shoulder.

“You're still shaking...”

 

Leo rubbed the sea-green neck, tilting his head.

“It's still pretty early. Why don't we all lay down for another hour?” They were almost done with breakfast anyways, and Mikey and Raph could really use the extra sleep.

 

“Good idea.” Don agreed and stood up, pulling Mikey with him. The thought of sleeping, however, didn't sound too appealing to Mikey. He didn't want to get back to those strange dreams.

 

“B-But breakfast...” Raph rubbed his forehead tiredly and sat back down on the chair, eyeing their almost empty plates.

 

“Fine, let's finish up and then head back to bed.”

 

Ten minutes later the three oldest Hamatos watched their youngest pick on his food. They all had finished already, while Mikey hadn't taken another bite yet. He couldn't help it, he was feeling queasy after this stupid mental image. He was spacing out again until his plate was taken away from him by Raph.

 

“I wasn't finished...” he started, but shrunk away under Leo's and Donnie's stern gazes.

 

“Lunch isn't too far away. Come on now.” Reluctantly Mikey let himself be guided to their bedroom by Donnie.

 

Raphael fell asleep almost instantly after laying down, arm draped over Don's waist. The genius was sitting up in bed with a notebook and pen in his hands. After his coffee he was wide awake, and he and Leo held up a quiet chatter. The soothing background noise slowly lulled Mikey into a light slumber. 

 

As soon as Leo felt Mikey's breath even out on his plastron, he stopped rubbing the arm and pulled the blanket up higher over the sea-green shoulder.

 

“He asleep?” Donnie asked, not looking up from his notes.

 

“Yeah. Do you think he'll be okay?” Don glanced over and gently ran the back of his hand over Mikey's freckled cheek.

 

“Ever since father's... death... and the adventure we're not talking about he's had troubles sleeping. I'm a little worried about the hallucinations, but it's probably only the sleep-deprivation.”

 

Leo resumed his rubbing when he felt his youngest mate shiver hard under the blanket.

 

“Before he said he's been cold since yesterday...” That made Donnie frown and he reached down to Mikey's neck to feel for a temperature.

The smaller turtle stirred, forcing Donnie to pull his hand back if he wanted to keep him asleep. Leo rocked him gently, shushing him until his breath evened out again. Donatello waited a few minutes before speaking up again.

 

“Could also be a sign of the sleep-deprivation. But I guess he's coming down with something.”

 

“He doesn't feel feverish.”

 

“We'll keep an eye on him. The chills are one of the first symptoms. If his temperature is still normal this evening he can just sleep it off.” Donnie bit his lip, adding after a pause, “Hopefully.”

He's been avoiding to think about their creepy adventure at all. He preferred to push it to the back of his mind, writing it off as nightmare. All of them were still trying to get over what happened.

 

Leo got the hint and sighed, cuddling Mikey close.

 

It was quiet for a while until Raph shot up in a sitting position suddenly, looking around wildly. The abrupt motion woke Mikey from his light sleep too, and he sat up tiredly.

 

“What's going on?”

 

“Didn't you hear that?!” Raph sounded frantic.

 

“Hear what?”

 

“The scream! Someone was screaming for help!” Donnie let out a sigh and smiled gently at Raph, putting a hand to his shoulder.

 

“Raph, it was all quiet. Nobody screamed. Maybe you just dreamed it?” Raphael shook his head and leaned back against the wall. They all had nightmares, it was nothing uncommon since then.

 

“I... probably.” He rubbed his eyes and sighed. “Sorry for waking you up.” He looked at Mikey, who yawned and shook his head.

 

“It's okay... Let's... let's get up and train.” Leo took in the paleness of the youngest and his dull eyes and with a swift movement had him in a laying position again.

 

“You barely slept half an hour. You're not leaving this bed until you slept two full hours, got it?”

 

“But Leo, I'm fiiiine...” Mikey whined.

 

“You suggested training voluntarily.” Donnie supplied with a smile.

 

“We started again... we train every morning...”

 

“Not when you're coming down with something.”

 

“I'm not getting sick! I'm just tired...”

 

“Yes, you're tired. So you go to sleep now.”

 

Mikey blinked tiredly at Donnie, not quite sure how the conversation took such a turn. Deciding he really was too tired to argue much more he sighed and snuggled into Leo's embrace, enjoying the warmth. His obedience earned him a kiss to the forehead, making him smile before dozing off again.

 

Raph had his arms crossed and his face in deep concerned frown. Hearing murmurs and whispering was one thing, but a scream for help? There was another scream, he made out Donnie's voice. A plea to stop. The turtle in question was calmly scribbling on his notebook, not a sign of distress on his face.

 

Angry with himself for imagining this weird stuff, he got up quickly. He had half the mind to be quiet so he wouldn't wake Mike again. He stormed out of the bedroom, heading for the dojo. He needed to hit something to calm down.

 

Leo and Donnie looked at each other in confusion. Since Leo was acting as snuggle pillow for Mikey, Don got up to follow their hothead brother. As expected he found him in front of his training dummy. For a minute he only watched him, not saying anything.

 

“I'm fine.” Raph pressed out in between punches.

 

“Yeah, you jump up all of a sudden to just randomly punch your dummy. You on a normal day.”

 

Raph sighed and stopped his assault, resting his forehead on the wood.

 

“Ya'll think I'm crazy.”

 

“Not more than usual. Shoot.” Raph chuckled at his genius brother, who smiled back.

 

“I've been hearin' weird noises since waking up. It's just whispers mostly...” he sighed, “but before there was this scream that woke me up. And then another scream... it sounded like you, begging for 'it' to stop.”

 

As expected Don had a frown on his face. “Look, I know it sounds stupid, but I don't think it's in my imagination.” He jumped when he heard Mikey scream for help. Judging Donnie's expression it was only his imagination again. “S'pose ya didn't hear Mikey scream, did ya?”

 

“No...” Donatello bit his lip, clenching his fists. They were at home. Evil Splinter was dead. There was no way he was still giving them hallucinations. “Do you think... it's him?” he asked quietly.

 

Raph rubbed his hands over his face and let go of the breath he's been holding.

 

“He's dead. It can't be. Maybe I'm just overly sensitive. Shadowland fucked all of us up.”

 

“Yeah... it did.” Donnie rubbed his own arms uneasily. No, he didn't want to remember. He shuddered when he felt a chill in the air and frowned. Don cleared his throat.

“I should turn on the heaters. Looks like it's getting colder already.”

 

Raph raised an eyeridge. “What are you talking about?”

 

“Don't you feel the cold? Leo said Mikey's been feeling cold too.”

 

“... No. Maybe you're both coming down with something?”

 

Donnie shook his head. “It doesn't feel like it...” The olive turtle sighed. “If... if there was a presence in the lair... Leo would've noticed at least, right?”

 

Raphael bit his lip before moving to wrap his arms around his younger mate. “I'm sure he would've... Uhm. Maybe we really should get some more sleep.”

 

It was one thing if Leo or Mikey started with ridiculous spiritual stuff, but Donnie admitting he was worried about something like this, it was alarming.

 

“Yeah, let's get back to the others...” Now that Raph had admitted to hearing non-existent noises, Donnie felt less sure, less safe. Raphael wouldn't make something like this up.

All of a sudden he didn't want to be separated from any of his brothers anymore.

 

Back at the bedroom they found Leo and Mikey just like they left them. Now Leo was sleeping too, both of them snuggled close together under the blanket.

Careful as not to wake them, Donnie and Raph slid in bed too, as close as they could.

 

“... Should we tell them?” Don asked quietly, gripping Raph's hands.

 

“I guess we should... maybe Leo can start a spiritual search or something. Just to make sure.”

 

A chocolate and an amber gaze met in a worried frown. This was so messed up. They should be able to live in peace, wasn't it enough that they lost their father? Didn't they suffer enough in that freaking shadow dimension?

 

After laying awake for a few more minutes, exhaustion from sleepless nights and nightmares caught up with both of them, despite the caffeine. As all four of the turtles slept tightly tucked together, none of them noticed the shadowy figure in the far corner...

 

* * *

 


	2. Chapter 2

* * *

 

 

The four turtles were sitting in a circle in the dojo.

 

“Do you really think this is a good idea?” Mikey asked, scooting closer to his brothers. It was dark, despite the candles in their middle and around them.

 

“I just want to be sure there's nothing here...” Donnie mumbled, tightening his hold on Leo's and Raph's hands.

 

The rest of their morning had been quite uneventful. They had slept till noon, though none of them felt well rested. Their dreams had been filled with memories of Shadowland.

Especially Donnie kept reliving his horrible hallucinations in his sleep, along with twisted memories of what really happened, and stuff he couldn't remember ever seeing before. Like the nightmare, where he and his brothers had raped Mikey. Was he still dreaming his clone's memories? Was that even possible now that they were back in their own dimension?

 

So to make sure there was nothing in the lair, no shadow lurking, no ghost or _whatever_ , they persuaded their oldest brother to do a spiritual search. None of them knew what they would do _if_ he found something, they rather prayed that there wasn't anything.

 

“It's okay. I'm going to concentrate on finding any foreign presence. Just keep holding onto me...” Leo let out a breath and closed his eyes.

 

His spiritual self took form beside him. Their lair in this level looked almost gray, the only patches of color coming from himself and his brothers on the ground.

They were all warily looking around, sending him energy so he wouldn't lose himself, and be reminded he wasn't alone.

 

He didn't feel comfortable at all, but the desire to make sure they were safe was stronger. Gathering strength from his mates' energies he left the dojo, searching the whole lair. Their shared bedroom, the other abandoned bedrooms. Bathroom, kitchen, even Splinter's room. Nothing. No dark corners, no shadows lurking.

In this spiritual level he should be able to pick up if anything was haunting them. In the main room he felt uneasy. He didn't sense any presence, but...

 

Was it him or did the exit to the sewers call out to him? Leo hesitated before slowly approaching the entrance. His hand reached out to touch the bricks next to it, frowning at the tiny vibrations. There was a hum coming from it... and a breeze... as if the wall was breathing...

 

 

~

 

 

“How long does it take to scout the lair?” Mikey asked anxiously, eyeing Leo's still form.

 

“He's been gone for a while...” Donnie mused, biting his lip worryingly.

 

Raph sighed. “We should try to call him back, maybe he just lost track of time. You know how he gets when he's all focused on a task.” He doubted it himself, but wanted to assure his younger mates.

The way they looked right now, so pale and eyes filled with fear, it reminded him way too much of their last spiritual adventure.

 

They quickly complied, all of them closing their eyes to try to call back their big brother.

 

With a big gasp hazel eyes shot open as Leo came back to himself. Immediately his mates were over him, stroking his arms, shell and face.

 

“Are you okay?”

 

“Did you find something?”

 

Ignoring each of their questions, Leonardo hugged his brothers close to him, taking in deep breaths of their scents. They squeezed back for comfort. Their own hearts were pounding, in fear that their mate really found something.

 

“I... there was nothing in the lair. Just... I _thought_ there was something in the sewers.” Leo finally started when he calmed down himself.

 

“In the sewers? What?” Donnie's head whipped to the direction of their main room. What could be hiding out there?

 

“I'm not sure. There was this humming. I tried to take a look, but you called me back before I could...”

 

“But why would _it_ , whatever it is, be outside of the lair... and not inside?”

 

“No idea... Maybe it's nothing. Let's just stay inside the lair for a while. Maybe it goes away on its own.”

 

Raphael watched Leo's eyes. Their leader seemed tense, afraid, and even relieved, probably because there was nothing _inside_.

 

“Alright. So we just write it off as imagination for now?” Raph asked.

 

Donnie's mouth twisted with uneasiness. As much as he wanted to just pretend there was nothing, there was a much greater want to know they were truly safe. The past months had been hard, but they've felt sheltered in their home. And now that safety was stripped from them by something unknown lurking just outside the lair.

 

“I could try to take another look.” Leo offered, sensing his brothers' nervousness.

 

Mikey's fingers dug into his own thighs hard as he shook his head.

“You said it could be there's nothing. Can't we just leave it at that?”

 

He didn't want Leo to check out the sewers all alone, and the rest of them were too nervous to be much of a help, especially in the spiritual department.

Wasn't it enough they've been plagued by nightmares the past three months? It had been about to get better, and suddenly they were back to square one.

 

“Let's approach this logical.” Donnie started, taking a deep cleansing breath. “If there really is something, it can't get inside. It would have already found a way if it could.”

 

“... Didn't father hang up those weird pieces of paper ages ago? You know, with the kanji symbols?”

 

“Ofuda.” Leo supplied, face thoughtful as he lifted his head to locate one of the few hanging in their dojo, high above.

 

“He said they were to hold off ghosts and stuff.” Raph said, feeling safer all of a sudden. Maybe the voices he kept hearing were really only in his imagination.

Leo said there was nothing in the lair, and with the added protection of the ofuda he'd rather keep convincing himself it was only their paranoia.

 

“That means we should really be safe inside the lair...” Donatello's voice shook with relief. Even if something was outside the lair, it wouldn't come inside.

 

“We... but we can't stay inside forever, can we?” Mikey asked, throat tight. Ever since they came back he's been scared to leave the lair at all. The only exception was when they brought their father's body to Casey's farmhouse.

He couldn't help it, he was scared that they'd be whisked away again, like last time.

 

“We have enough supplies to last for at least two weeks, three with how little we eat lately... we should really start eating more, by the way.” Donnie said, busying his mind and absentmindedly rubbing at his throat.

“Maybe it goes away when it realizes it can't get inside and we won't come out for a while.”

 

“We could get April and Casey to bring us some supplies.” Leo shrugged uneasily.

 

“Maybe as a last resort.” Raph threw in. “I don't want to endanger them unnecessarily.”

 

“If there even is a danger.” Mikey got up, arms wrapped around himself as he shivered. The lair felt so cold to him. And he could also see goosebumps on Donnie's skin, so it wasn't his imagination.

“Can you turn on the heater?” He asked his smartest brother, rubbing his own arms. If he pretended there was nothing, maybe it turned out right.

 

“Sure, yeah. I haven't watched the forecast in a while, probably arctic wind or something.” Donnie got up too. If he kept himself busy, he wouldn't be tempted to remember.

 

“Great, I'm in the kitchen. Late lunch done in an hour.” Mikey announced, trying to sound enthusiastic and failing miserably. On his way to the kitchen he turned on every light.

 

Donnie cleared his throat. “Uhm. The heating unit is in one of the other rooms...” He referred to the unused part of the lair, that they never needed.

Don's unasked question was answered by Raphael grabbing his hand.

 

“I'll help you. The faster we warm up the better.” He wouldn't admit it, but ever since they woke up from their nap he also felt that chill. Not as much as Mikey and Donnie apparently, still it was there.

 

“I guess I'll go help Mikey with lunch.” Leo said, surprising his mates by hugging them both tight and letting out a shaking breath.

 

“Are you sure you're alright?” Donnie asked, gently stroking his older brother's cheek.

Raph had a concerned expression on his face as he squeezed Leo's shoulder.

 

“Yeah. Definitely. ...Be careful, alright?”

 

Donnie and Raph nuzzled both sides of Leo's face. “Of course.”

 

Outside the dojo their ways parted. Leo followed the brightly lit path leading him to the kitchen, while Raphael and Donatello turned on the other lights as they made their way to the heating unit.

 

As they worked on getting it started, Donnie kept rubbing at his throat, clearing it a few times.

 

“Everything okay?” Raph asked with a concerned frown. Don had to clear his throat again before he could answer.

 

“Uh, I guess...” It was weird. Just a few minutes ago his voice had been fine and suddenly it sounded so scratchy.

 

“Don't gimme that crap. You _are_ coming down with something.” Raph finally managed to get the heater running, wiping his hands on a towel they had laying around.

 

Then he grabbed Don's chin and tilted it up, intending to take a look down the genius' throat. While he was no medic, he could tell if a throat looked inflamed or not.

 

However, he didn't get very far when something on the olive green skin stood out to him. He grabbed both sides of Don's face and tilted it further back to examine the outer skin of his throat.

 

“Raph?” Donnie questioned, blinking at the dark ceiling. He felt his brother's finger on his throat. When he was finally allowed to move again he rubbed at his own throat, frowning at Raphael.

 

The skin of his mate was a little paler, worrying Donnie. “Raph, what is it?”

 

“You... you have a bruise. Right here.”

 

“... That's impossible. We didn't... not since...”

 

“Not that kind of bruise.” Raph shook his head with a sigh. “A real bruise.”

 

They went to the nearest bathroom so Don could see for himself. Indeed, there was a big blackish blue bruise, now already all around his neck.

The chocolate eyes were wide as he examined it, prodding at it carefully.

 

“Where the shell did I get that? It wasn't there this morning...” Donnie croaked. “The bruise doesn't even hurt, at all... just my voice is all fucked up.”

 

“What do you mean it doesn't hurt? Almost your whole neck is black... and I'm pretty sure that wasn't there when we left the dojo.” Raph rubbed Don's shoulder, uneasily eyeing the bruise.

 

The olive turtle turned fully to look into the amber eyes. “There's not even a twinge of pain when I touch it... My throat only feels a little tight and sore.

 

They stared into each other's eyes for a few moments, caught in their own thoughts. But there was nothing here that could've done that. Leo said nothing was in the lair, and Splinter's ofunda should keep it that way.

 

“I'm gonna drink some tea. That should help with the throat.” Donnie whispered finally, keeping a tight grip on Raph's hand as they made their way to the kitchen.

 

 

~

 

 

Mikey sighed as he fought with the blanket to keep it over his shoulders while he worked. He could've gone to get his coat, but with a blanket he felt more safe.

 

He was making a simple dish, just some pasta. Donnie was right, they had to get their normal eating habits back. They needed their strength back. Mike had no idea how the others were holding up, but now that Don had mentioned their lessened intake of food he felt a little weaker than usual.

Sure, add some nightmares and grief, plus a horrifying hallucination and you had the damned cocktail of exhaustion. The sudden body aches had to be tied to that. Why else would his wrists and ankles feel like they'd snap any second?

 

His broken wrists had healed nicely according to Donnie over a month ago, he shouldn't feel any pain anymore. And it wasn't really pain. Just... a dull ache. Easily ignored.

 

The noodles were boiling. Mikey rolled his eyes when the blanket fell to the floor. When he bent to pick it up he hesitated as he saw something on his outstretched arm. Around his wrist was a bruise. As he touched it with his other hand he noticed the same bruise on it. It didn't hurt when he prodded at it, only when he moved it. As if the pain was inside.

 

Gulping, he lifted a foot and to his dismay there was a matching bruise. All around the ankle. Like rope burn. Mikey shook his head and bit down hard on his bottom lip. No. That was only in his mind.

 

Pushing any disconcerting thoughts to the back of his head, he draped the blanket back over his shoulders and picked up his wooden spoon and went to stir the noodles so they wouldn't stick to the bottom of the pot.

 

However, when he dipped the wooden spoon in the boiling water to stir, he recoiled with a gasp. He stumbled back, hitting his shell on the kitchen table. His hands gripped the edge so tight his knuckles were turning white. He didn't even care for the blanket hitting the ground this time.

 

Michelangelo drew a few shaky breaths before gathering enough courage to approach the stove again. His fingers trembled as he grabbed the spoon that was still in the pot.

Very slowly, he stirred again in the milky water. Instead of the pale yellow of the spaghetti, a mixture of soft pink and light brown appeared on the surface.

 

With his hands shaking violently, Mikey grabbed the pot and poured the majority of the water into the sink. His eyes were closed as he put the pot to stand on the counter.

 

It was _not_ real. Just his imagination. He opened the package of spaghetti himself. They were plain noodles, bought not too long ago.

 

His eyes opened as he leaned slightly over the pot. His skin paled drastically at the sight of about a hundred live worms, twisting over each other, glistening from the water they just swam in, _steaming_ because that water had been _boiling_.

 

Mikey barely made it to the trashcan, crashing to his knees in front of it as he emptied his stomach. There barely was anything in it, and the bile burned agonizingly as it came up his throat.

He couldn't help the tears that sprang to his eyes as he gripped the trashcan tight. Why did vomiting hurt so much? It never felt like throwing up glass shards before.

 

“Mikey!” Suddenly Leo was kneeling next to him, rubbing his carapace until he felt he was done.

 

Sobbing from the experience, Mikey curled up against Leo, the arms of his big brother holding him close as he rocked him for comfort.

 

“Shh, it's alright baby, it's okay...”

 

The freckled turtle sniffed as he clung to Leo, trying to calm down. “Th-The sp-paghetthi...” He stuttered out with a horribly hoarse voice, burying his face in the space between Leo's neck and shoulder.

 

“What about them?” The leader asked calmly, using one hand to rub soothing circles on his baby brother's carapace.

 

Mikey only let out another sob, shaking his head.

 

“So, heater's running. Should be- oh shell what's wrong?!”

 

In an instant Donnie and Raph were on the floor next to them. They could smell the vomit from the trashcan, grimacing slightly.

 

“I found him kneeling here.” Leo explained, trying to get his baby brother to calm down while his eyes found the pot. “Probably another hallucination.” He added under his breath.

 

Don tried to take Mikey, but the freckled turtle clung to Leo as if his life depended on it.

 

“Come on, sweetheart, let me take a look at you.” The genius coaxed after clearing his throat again.

 

Leo's eyes were wide when they found the bruise on the olive skin. “Donnie, what happened?!”

 

Donatello only shrugged, having no idea himself. He was unaware of the looks Raph and Leo exchanged as he was busy trying to get Mikey to let go of their oldest mate.

 

“... Where did you get those?” Donnie breathed as he took Mikey's hand to examine the bruise on the wrist.

 

The mention brought the youngest back to his senses. He used his free hand to rub the tears from his face.

 

“I don't know... it doesn't hurt...” He whimpered at the pain in his throat.

 

Donnie had him sit upright on Leo's lap before tilting his chin up, but there was no bruise on Mikey's neck.

 

“Your throat hurts?” He asked hoarsely, cupping his brother's cheek.

 

More tears began to pool in Mikey's bloodshot eyes as he nodded. He felt as if every muscle was starting to burn. His throat was worst, until his tail was starting to join in the pain party.

 

“His tail...” Raph whispered, shocked amber eyes locked on the sea-green tail that was starting to bruise around the base.

 

Mikey leaned forward to rest against Leo's plastron as he shoulders quaked when he cried quietly. The pain in his tail was moving, he whimpered when he felt it pass his entrance and inside him. From there it pulsated a few times until it dulled.

 

He was aware of several hands touching him, trying to sooth him. Even though he was completely slumped against Leo, he felt dizzy. His eyes burned as he tried to focus on Donnie, who had moved behind Leo to look at his face.

 

“Mikey? Do you hear me?” Donatello asked, inwardly freaking out. Mikey had been _fine_ before! Just like him! Where did those bruises come from?! As much as Donnie wanted to lose it, he had to stay calm.

 

“D-Donnie...” Mikey sobbed. He wanted his brothers to tell him it was nothing. He just wanted to sleep and forget anything ever happened.

 

Leo transferred their baby brother to Donnie, grabbing the blanket from the ground to drape it over him at the violent shudders.

 

“He's burning up again... in a matter of seconds he just...” Leo shook his head in disbelief and worry.

 

Raph felt his own throat constrict. This wasn't a coincidence. It couldn't be. The bruise on Donnie's neck reminded them of back when they crushed his clone's throat. When he killed the clone.

Donnie and Mikey wouldn't know, but Raphael and Leonardo had remembered immediately.

 

And now Mikey had bruises on his wrists, ankles and tail... Just like his clone on the hospital bed. Their little brother had told them his counterpart had died of infection, and when he had possessed his body he felt the symptoms. Was this similar? Did Donnie and Mikey feel the symptoms of their counterparts?

 

The headache Raph had began to feel before got a completely new meaning to him. He had smashed his clone's head to kill him. Would his head bruise too?

 

“It's okay, sweetheart... close your eyes, we're here. Shh...” Donnie soothed, standing with Mikey in his arms. They made their way to the lab/infirmary, where Donnie tried to lower Mikey on the bed.

 

“N-No...” Michelangelo sobbed, eyes squeezed close as he clung to his brother.

 

“We're not going anywhere, angelcakes, you have to let me examine you. I'm gonna give you something to make you feel better.” Donnie tried to coax, but Mikey stubbornly shook his head.

 

“Here.” Raph laid on the bed himself, reaching out to take Mikey.

 

Realizing he wouldn't be alone on the bed, Mikey relaxed his vice like grip on Donnie and clung to Raph instead. Leo stood at the head end of the bed and soothingly rubbed his neck to relax him.

 

“Come on...” Raph demanded, coaxing Mikey to unbury his face from his shoulder. The youngest turtle hesitantly opened his mouth to let Donnie slip a thermometer under his tongue. He rested his cheek on Raph's plastron, closing his eyes when he felt the dizziness lessen a little.

 

Donnie's fingers were on his wrist, taking a pulse. Leo's touches stopped to feel the neck and cheeks.

 

“He's not as hot anymore...” Leo said with a frown. Don felt Mike's forehead, shaking his head.

 

“That's... that shouldn't be possible. Not that fast.” The sudden fever had gone down a great deal. It was still there, but a look on the beeping thermometer told them it was low.

 

“Baby? How are you feeling?” Raph asked carefully. Mikey sighed, keeping his eyes closed.

 

“I don't know. Drained. Cold. Nauseous.” He swallowed thickly. “But nothing hurts anymore.” His voice sounded better indeed.

 

“Raph, your head... it's bruising.” Leo stated, carefully touching the darkening spot on Raph's side of the head.

 

“... What the shell is going on here?”

 

* * *

 


	3. Chapter 3

* * *

 

 

“Now what are we supposed to do?” Raph's grip on the back of the couch was tight, his knuckles whitening.

“We're back home. Evil Splinter is dead. _Our_ Splinter is dead. There's no way it could be one of them.”

 

Leo stopped his pacing and took a deep breath. After the episode in the kitchen earlier they all were high-strung and mentally worn. After making sure there weren't any more ill effects, they had gathered in the living-room, feeling safest there.

 

“Maybe it's just a backlash of some sorts.”

 

“A backlash?! Shell, Fearless, _look_ at us!”

 

At that Leonardo averted his gaze. He definitely didn't want to see the dark bruises on his mates' skin.

 

Don and Mikey were huddled together on the couch, sharing a blanket. The genius' gaze was going from Raph to Leo as they talked, his hand busy rubbing his little brother's arm for warmth.

The freckled turtle had his head tucked under Donnie's chin, just staring ahead dazedly, lost in his own thoughts.

The bruising was still fairly visible on his sea-green skin, still he's assured them of being totally fine, at least physically.

 

“This chill in the air is not normal either.” Don contributed in a quiet voice as he and Mikey shivered despite the blanket and the heaters running.

He squeezed his baby brother tighter and buried his face in the crown of the sea-green head.

 

He couldn't even begin to describe how much he hated their current situation. Back in Shadowland they had a goal at least, a silver lining, a way to get out.

However, this was their reality. They couldn't just flee from home.

 

“What if this isn't real?” The soft voice of their youngest brother sounded loud in the silence of the room.

 

“What do you mean?” Raphael asked, gently squeezing Mikey's shoulder.

 

“Maybe this isn't home... maybe this is just another realm. One that _looks_ like home.” It was quiet for a while.

 

“... Do you think that's possible?” Raph finally said, looking at their oldest mate. Leo gave an uneasy shrug.

 

“I should've been able to pick something up if that was the case...”

 

Donnie looked up. “We avoided leaving the lair much. No patrols or anything, and we barely really talked to April and Casey either...” He said. “We could go on a patrol, check out the city. Maybe we find clues.”

 

Leonardo rubbed both hands over his face. “Guys, if it was just another realm, why didn't something happen sooner? Why now of all times? It's not making any sense.”

 

His heart clenched guiltily when Don deflated and buried his face again. Biting his lip, he came over to sit on Donnie's other side, squeezing his shoulder.

 

“Sorry. It could be I'm wrong of course.” He offered, pressing a kiss to his genius brother's temple.

“Maybe I couldn't pick it up because it's so similar to our reality.”

 

He knew it was the easiest to just think of it as another nightmare. And to think that maybe, in reality, their father was still alive and they wouldn't have to worry about every little chill...

But it was so unrealistic.

 

“We could at least try.” Donnie mumbled, leaning against Leo and pulling Mikey with him.

 

The youngster reached for Raph's hand and tugged on it, urging him to join the group hug. The muscular turtle shook his head with a defeated sigh and jumped over the back of the couch to land next to Mikey.

 

“Of course we can.” Leo promised as they all snuggled together, each of them lost in their own thoughts.

 

 

~

 

 

“So far everything's normal...” Leo stated as they took a break on top of a building.

Their scouting mission had been pretty disappointing so far, it was horrible to see the little bit of hope in his mates' eyes vanish with every passing second.

 

“I really hoped Mikey's theory was right...” Don sighed in defeat as he sat down leaning against an air vent.

 

“We all did, honey.” Raph rubbed a hand over his immediate younger brother's head.

 

“What else could it be? You said you sensed something in the sewers, but when we went out there wasn't anything, not even spiritually. I just don't get it...”

 

“Maybe our minds are just completely fucked up because of Shadowland.” The muscular turtle shrugged.

 

“What, like PTSD?”

 

Raph nodded, looking up at the cloudy sky. “I mean, it doesn't explain the bruises, but the rest...”

 

“We've been so high-strung over the last months, it would make sense that our bodies and minds catch up with it now. The voices you've been hearing, the hallucinations. The nightmares of course...”

 

“And what should we do about that? Just ignore it until it goes away itself?” Leo asked, leaning against the vent.

 

“What else can we do?” Don countered, looking up at their oldest mate.

 

“I don't know. It's worth a try... we could all try to do some meditation and other relaxation techniques. Get out of the misery cycle we buried ourselves in.”

 

Mikey was quiet as he stood in front of his brothers. He doubted it would work. But they were kinda right. What else could they do?

 

 

~

 

 

So they did. They each tried to get back to their old hobbies to relax. They ignored the bruises on their bodies as if they weren't there, avoided talking about upsetting topics.

 

But it didn't work. At least Mikey knew it didn't work for him. However, since nobody was complaining he chose to not rock the boat.

He kept seeing bugs, worms, body parts in every meal; couldn't get himself to eat anything. Heck, even cooking was torture to him as he was getting hungrier and hungrier but also felt like throwing up whenever he got too close to the food.

 

He knew he needed to eat soon, he felt weak and shaky after the third day. It would be surprising that his mates didn't notice him not eating, if you didn't know they had their own troubles.

 

Donatello was dreaming. More like nightmares. They've all been plagued by them many times, but now they got stronger. And each of them were like a memory. A memory he definitely didn't want to remember, especially since he was sure these memories didn't even belong to him.

He was pretty sure they belonged to the previous Donatellos. Every night he relived their fear, their loss, their defeat and their deaths.

 

It went so far that he avoided sleeping at all, keeping himself awake with coffee and projects he's been shoving aside for months. He felt the sleep deprivation as it weighed him down like lead. Maybe he could find a way to evade dreaming at all.

 

Raphael's head felt like exploding every single day. The voices, the screams wouldn't stop. Screams of his brothers, begging him to stop. His punching bag was being attacked constantly in favor of distracting himself of the horrible sounds.

 

He couldn't get himself to relax, couldn't sleep because the screams of agony kept him alert and awake. It was torture, the lack of sleep. His concentration was fading more and more. He needed to do _something_ about it, but he just didn't know _what_.

 

The only one not suffering was Leonardo, at least that's what it looked like. He began to think that his torture was to see his mates hurting and not being able to help.

 

“Hey.” He greeted Raph as he found him in the dojo.

 

The emerald turtle panted as he stopped punching the dummy, his arms shaking from the exertion.

 

“Hey.”

 

“Hey yourself. How's it going?” Raph huffed a humorless laugh as he rolled his shoulders.

 

“Just peachy.” he said sarcastically.

 

“Yeah that's what I thought... trouble sleeping?”

 

Raphael sighed, only relaxing a little when Leo rubbed his shoulder.

 

“The screaming won't stop...” The muscular turtle admitted quietly. “I can't sleep when I hear the pained voices of all of you.”

 

The tall turtle must be really tired to admit any weakness so easily. Leo continued to rub the muscular shoulder, moving to the neck to soothe his brother.

 

“This... this evading tactic doesn't work, Fearless. Don doesn't sleep either, and when he does it's wrecked with nightmares. And Mikey... he seems to wilt away more every day.”

 

The amber eyes displayed a rare vulnerability as they met Leo's hazel gaze.

 

“There's gotta be something we can do...”

 

Leonardo felt his heart squeeze in sympathy as he hugged Raph tightly.

 

“I wish there was something we could do, Raph... but I have no idea what. We can only try to fix the aftermath for now.”

 

Raph snorted, prompting Leo to pull back and give him a look.

 

“Come on, let's spar. We'll try to exhaust you enough so you just fall asleep.”

 

“That's what I've been trying for days now and it didn't work.”

 

“If the training doesn't work we'll take a shower together and then I know something that always puts you to sleep easily...”

 

Raphael blinked at the last part. “You mean...”

 

“Yes.”

 

“But we haven't... not since...”

 

“I know, Raph. But maybe that's just what we need to finally relax and get over it... It's worth a try, don't you think?”

 

The hothead let out a breath, rubbing a hand over his head. Eventually he gave a weak version of his smirk.

 

“Alright. Then how about we skip the sparring and go straight to the showers?”

 

 

~

 

 

Leonardo was satisfied to see Raph snoring softly after their roll in the hay.

While the leader hated to see his family so weak and vulnerable, he couldn't deny he quite liked how pliant Raph had been under him.

 

He gently pulled the blanket higher before leaving the bedroom, going to find the next brother.

 

Mikey was laying on his side on the couch, curled around a pillow as he watched some show without really paying attention.

Leo squatted down in front of him, stroking over his head in a gentle caress.

 

“Hey baby. How are you feeling?”

 

“...”

 

The freckled turtle buried his pale face in the pillow and shook his head.

 

“... Honey...”

 

“I wanna eat, but I'm just gonna throw up as soon as I _look_ at  food.” Mikey whispered miserably.

 

Leo frowned worriedly. None of them has had much appetite the past week, so he hasn't really thought much about eating at all. How could he _not_ notice Mikey not eating at all?

 

“That bad?”

 

“Bugs. Rotten food. Body parts. Blood...” Mikey counted off in an exhausted voice. “That's what I'm seeing. I... I tried eating an apple earlier... but it was all rotten, and a worm was wiggling around through it...”

 

Michelangelo shuddered and bit into the pillow as a small gag wrecked through him at the reminder. He didn't have to worry about actually throwing up, since there was nothing left in him anyways.

 

The leader was quiet for a while, comfortingly rubbing Mikey's arm.

 

“How about we try eating with your eyes closed?”

 

“... I don't know, Leo...”

 

“Come on, we have to get something into your stomach.” Leo pulled his little brother in a sitting position before untying his own mask to tie it sideways on Mike's head instead.

The freckled turtle hadn't worn his own mask the past weeks, seeing no point in it.

 

“Don't peek, I'm gonna get you something to eat.”

 

Mikey just sighed and leaned back against the couch, waiting for his oldest mate to come back. He honestly didn't care anymore, he was willing to try anything.

 

“What if it doesn't work?” He asked when he felt Leo's weight settle next to him.

 

“Then we're asking Donnie to hook you up to an IV. We're not letting you starve, baby.”

 

Michelangelo nodded, breath hitching when he felt a spoon touching his lips.

 

“W-What is it?”

 

“Doesn't matter, don't think about it. Just eat and listen to this crappy show.” Mikey hesitantly opened his mouth, doing his best to concentrate on the noise of the television.

He was pretty sure Leo was feeding him a cup of chocolate pudding. And he was relieved to find it tasted like chocolate pudding too.

 

“You feeling okay so far?” Leo carefully asked, putting the empty cup on the coffee table.

 

“I think so, yeah...”

 

“Alright. You shouldn't eat too much now, I'm gonna heat up some broth for you. Keep the mask on.”

 

A while later an empty bowl joined the cup on the table, and Leo lifted his mask from Mikey's eyes. He smiled at his little brother, glad he seemed to be able to keep it down.

 

The smaller turtle wrapped his arms around Leo's neck in a tight hug, snuggling as close as he could. “Thanks...”

 

Leonardo got comfortable on the couch, pulling Mikey on his lap.

“I'm just glad you're doing better.”

 

He put a hand to Mike's cheek, tilting his head up to press his lips to the sea-green ones.

 

A little hesitant at first, Mikey quickly relaxed into the kiss. The forest green hands were rubbing up and down his thighs steadily, eliciting a shudder from the smaller turtle.

 

With a gentle smile, Leo switched their positions again, placing Michelangelo on his carapace and hovering over him, comfortable between the slender legs.

 

When Leo leaned down to nuzzle Mike's neck, the latter tensed slightly.

 

“Leo...” He gently pushed against the broad plastron.

 

“What is it, baby?”

 

“D-Don't... please...” Feeling a small pang of disappointment, Leo sat up fully, bringing Mikey with him.

 

“I'm sorry.”

 

“N-No, it's not your fault. I just... I can't... It's just too much like...”

 

“It's okay, I understand...” Mikey climbed into Leo's lap again, snuggling closer as he tried to keep it together.

 

“I really wanna try some time... I mean, I don't want to be scared forever... just...”

 

He sighed as he felt Leo press a kiss to his head.

 

“I know, honey. We'll figure this out somehow.”

 

Mikey nodded, tracing imaginary patterns on Leo's hand.

“Hey, you got a bruise too.” He pointed out suddenly.

 

“Hm? Oh...” Indeed there was a dark bruise around his wrist. It looked very smooth on the edges, not as frazzled out as Mike's. And also, slightly reddish. “That's weird. It wasn't there before.”

 

“I can't even be surprised anymore...” Mikey mumbled and yawned, resting his head in the crook of Leo's neck.

“Can you take me to bed?”

 

The leader gave a chuckle at the cute question and stood, having a tight grip on his lithe baby brother.

 

“Are you gonna cuddle with me too?”

 

“You can use Raphie as a cuddle pillow, I wanna make sure Donnie gets some rest too.”

 

Mikey sighed. “Alright. I think he's close to passing out anyways. You just have to cut his caffeine supply.”

 

“I already hid the coffee maker.” Leo chuckled quietly as Mikey fumbled in the hold to open the bedroom door.

 

As soon as two of his mates were sleeping and tucked away safely, Leonardo went to find Donatello in his lab.

 

For a short while, the leader stood in the doorway, observing his genius brother. With how exhausted the olive turtle was, it was no surprise that he didn't sense Leo's presence.

 

“It's quite late, Donnie.” The elder spoke up calmly, the corner of his mouth tugging up a little at how Donatello jumped. “Sorry.”

 

“Oh, Leo. Hi.” Don rubbed both hands over his tired face. He yawned, turning it to a relieved groan when he felt the strong fingers of his mate kneading his shoulders and neck.

 

“How about we take this to bed? I'll give you a full body massage, and then we cuddle up to Raph and Mikey and sleep.”

 

“I... I don't want to sleep...”

 

Leo gave an inaudible sigh. “Why?”

 

Donatello was quiet for a few moments, eyes closed.

 

“The nightmares... it's... they scare me. Like... I know it's not just simple dreams.” He shrugged and swiveled around with his chair to look at his mate.

“They're memories. But not my own. It feels like they're memories of the _other_ Donatellos.”

 

“Sounds horrible...” Leo sighed, squatting down and placing his hands on Don's thighs. “But you know you can't stay awake forever.”

 

“I know...” Donnie rubbed at his forehead. “I'm trying to find a way to... you know, not dream at all. It would help us all to sleep better.”

 

“You won't accomplish anything if you're exhausting yourself nonstop.” Leo continued his massage on Don's thighs, rubbing the olive skin and feeling the muscles relax.

“Maybe talking about it helps. The evading doesn't work. Raph and Mikey have talked about their problems, and now they're sleeping like babies.”

 

Donnie huffed. “Tch, I'm not sure if that works.”

 

“We could try. Or I could help you get your mind off of the dreams...” At the last part his hands dipped further inward, his thumbs stroking the crease where shell met skin between his legs.

 

The genius' bit his bottom lip as a tiny churr escaped him.

 

“We shouldn't... I mean... the others...”

 

Leo pressed kisses on the smooth skin. “Raph and I did it today.” He murmured as his lips moved towards Don's crotch area.

 

A moan rang out when Leonardo's tongue swiped over the parting slit.

 

“So much for talking, huh?” he chuckled breathlessly, his hips lifting towards Leo's face.

 

“We can talk instead...” The leader offered, smirking when Don gripped his head and pulled him closer again.

 

 

~

 

 

Opening the door with his arms full of Donatello was hard, but with a lot of ninja experience Leo managed.

Raph and Mikey didn't even stir from their deep slumber.

 

The muscular turtle had his arms wrapped around Michelangelo, whose head was resting on the broad plastron.

 

Leonardo lowered Donnie on the bed next to Mikey and adjusted the blankets over all of them before climbing in to them. Still sleeping peacefully, the genius snuggled up to him.

 

He knew it wouldn't be so easy. Raph's hallucinated sounds could very likely come back in the morning. And Mikey couldn't eat blindly for the rest of his life. And he wasn't even sure if Don's dreams stopped at all.

 

While he pulled the olive turtle closer with one arm, Leo inspected the other. Another bruise had formed next to the reddish one on his wrist.

 

Leo frowned. It was right parallel to the other one, though the color was quite different. It was hard telling in the quite dark bedroom, but to Leo, the second bruise looked kind of purplish…

 

* * *

 


End file.
